Page 95 of Tell Me Why
From what I’ve seen lately, Lucas and Wyn are damn near inseparable. I’d assumed she was coming with us.
He flicks his chin toward the stairs. “She’s upstairs, still sleeping.”
“Oh.”
Me, alone with Lucas? Great. This car ride won’t be awkwardat all.
In the car, he starts the engine and turns to me from the driver’s seat. “Where to?”
In that moment, I realize I don’t really have anywhere to go. I could go to Sin’s place, but it’s probably not a good idea to have Lucas drop me off there. After last night, God knows what could pop off if Sin and Lucas end up seeing each other.
“The nearest motel is cool, thanks.”
With a nod, he pulls out of the long driveway, and we head toward the main road. I turn to look out the window, my entire body stiff, tense. I’m terrified he’s going to bring up the topic of Christian. I’m really not in the headspace to go there right now.
A few minutes into the drive, Lucas pulls off the road and into a beach parking lot.
“Why are we stopping here?” I ask, glancing at Lucas. He looks casual, completely at ease. “I’m pointing out the obvious here, but this isn’t a motel.”
Shutting the car off, he turns to me with a placid smile. Fuck, I still can’t get over how much he looks like Christian. I realize that’s what the whole twin thing is, but when the person in front of me looks like someone I love/hate…yeah, it fucks with me. My eyes drop to my lap.
“I thought we could chat for a few before I take you to the motel.”
Chat?What are we, friends catching up?
“What’s there to chat about?” I ask. “I’m leaving. This whole thing is over.”
He opens the driver’s side door. “Humor me.”
Honestly, chatting with Lucas West is the absolutelastthing I want to do right now. I just want to bury my head in a pillow and cry until I can’t breathe—is that so much to ask?
But if Lucas is anything like Christian, he’s not going to let this go. So in the interest of getting this the fuck over with, I get out of the car and follow him down to the sand.
It’s early, and the beach is all but deserted at this hour. I remove my flip-flops and let them dangle from my fingers as we trudge down to the water’s edge.
Lucas stops just short of the water and stares out at the ocean, hands in his pockets. “They say twins have a special connection,” he says, not looking at me. “They understand each other on a level that other people don’t get...”
Ummm…okay?Why is he telling me this?
“Yeah, I saw that documentary, too,” I say sarcastically, pulling the sleeves of my oversized hoodie over myfreezinghands. I’m wearing shorts under the hoodie, and my legs are already popsicles.
He sighs. “The moment you walked into the study at Rush House and offered yourself up, I knew what my brother was feeling. I knew what he was thinking…” He drops his head and looks at me. “Because we’re the same. We have the same fucked up darkness inside us…”
“Right,” I say slowly, because what the fuck am I supposed to say to a statement like that?
“I’d hoped I was wrong, being paranoid, or whatever. Maybe he could maintain control.” He shrugs. “But that didn’t happen, and I blame myself for that. I should have followed my gut and turned you away at the door…”
I watch Lucas’ face, confused as to why he brought me here. Why does any of this matter now?
“Well, I’m leaving, so you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll never see my face again.”
He lets out a chuckle and shakes his head. “God, I wish that were true. But you’re in his head now, Eve, and I know from experience that doesn’t just go away. Not for guys like us.”
“Are you saying he’ll come after me?” I ask, emotion lodged in my throat. Do I want that? I don’t even know. All I know is that the thought of being separated from Christian forever, even after everything, feels heavy. Wrong, somehow.
I clearly need therapy.
He shrugs and looks back out at the ocean. “He’ll probably convince himself you’re better off without him,” he says. “For a while, at least. But that won’t hold for long. Sooner or later, he’ll go looking for you…”
